Did anyone notice that Ford has played around with the rear leaf springs on the new 2011 SD?

My local dealer has 2011 F 250 supercabs and crewcabs on the lot. The supercabs have a 9,400 lb GVWR with 3 leafs in the rear with a heavy bottom overload spring and the crewcabs have a 9,600 lb GVWR with 2 leafs in the rear with the bottom overload spring.

Even though the 9,600 lb GVWR has only 2 leafs they seem to be thicker than the 9,400 lb GVWR 3 leaf pac.

 

Wow, this is weird.

Bucci's right, the rear springs are a different configuration in the F250s. Take a look:

Here are the specs for the F250 springs for 2008:



And 2011:



Notice both with and without the auxiliary spring they are short a leaf! The spring rating is identical per stage on those with the aux spring, but without the first stage is softer and the second stage is firmer.

I imagine they did it to make for a smoother unloaded ride. Now I'm jealous!

 

I, too, have noticed the rear leaf pack is different on the 2011 trucks.
But I'll throw this in there for extra confusion, haha
My 2009 F250 5.4L has just a 4 leaf pack whereas it seems diesel F250s (08-10) have 5 leaf packs.

Anyway, back on topic now, I think I'm also jealous of the softer ride while unloaded!

 

All this tweaking makes me wonder how they will stand the test of time. Whether they will sag sooner than pre 2008 for that matter.

 

If the truck has any upgraded springs in the front it's hard to tell when/if it sags. The front sits higher than the back right from the start.

 

Really? That seems like a weird set up?